Incandescence
by FelsGoddess
Summary: An attack. A plot. A child's life hangs in the balance. Told in the form of drabbles for the sixth Ultimate Drabble Challenge. Jaina, Jag, Han, Leia, Tahiri, Kyp, Ben
1. Chapter 1

Title: Incandescence  
>Author(s): FelsGoddess<br>Timeframe: Post-FotJ  
>Characters: Jagged Fel, Jaina Solo, Tahiri Veila, Han Solo, Leia Organa Solo, Kyp Durron<br>Genre: Drabbles  
>Keywords: UDC<br>Summary: Ultimate Drabble Challenge Six  
>Notes:<p>

Theater One: Scene 1, Take 1!

**1. Lights!**  
>The flashes of blaster fire created temporary blind spots in his eyes. Screams echoed through the forest as beings died. Sweat and blood made his shirt cling to his chest. Warm blood rolled down the side of his cheek. His lock of white hair fell over his eyes. Red flecks peppered the strands. He couldn't look at the blood. It only reminded him of her and he couldn't afford that thought. If he wanted to survive, he would have to push away everything but his wits.<p>

And if there was one thing Jagged Fel could do well, it was survive.

**2. Camera!**  
>Cameras flashed, capturing the monumental event, threatened to overwhelm him. The flashes of cameras were a part of his life. As the leader of the Empire, the press followed him wherever he went. Long ago, he'd accepted that it was part of his job.<p>

A smile, a wave and a nod. A turn from the podium. The contingent of guards surrounded him, prepared to do what was necessary should the need arise. The voices grew quieter as he walked through the hallways to the main hanger.

With a blink of his green eyes, the flashes were gone, leaving him alone.

**3. Action!**  
>Two arms wrapped around her waist as she screamed, pulling her from harm's way. It wasn't where she wanted to be. Emergency personnel quickly cut through the crushed metal of the speeder. Jaina tore at the arms clamped around her. She left out a raw burst of energy from the Force, but her captor was able to hold here. Only a powerful Jedi Master was capable.<br>One of the technicians removed a small, blood soaked body from the vehicle. The child's legs were drenched in blood. Jaina yanked free and sprinted across the street, daring the attackers to strike again.

**4. Roll!**  
>Tahiri groaned as she awoke. She was lying on her stomach. She could feel the heat from the nearby fire on her skin. Tahiri tried to press herself upright with her hands. Her right arm collapsed beneath her. She looked down at her forearm. A jagged shard of glass was embedded in her forearm. She spied a piece of thing plastic on the ground. She grabbed it. She took a deep breath and yanked out the shard of glass. She bit back a scream and threw it to the ground.<p>

She pushed herself up. She had to find the princess.

**5. Shoot!**  
>Twisted, broken speeders filled the street. Broken glass and shrapnel coated the street. Smoke slowly wafted through the air. A team has put out the small fires. The call of a bird echoed through the air, teasing the injured and dying with health and joy. The façade of one of the buildings lay crumbled over two speeders and the street.<p>

Beings gathered around all of the speeders in an attempt to rescue those trapped inside. No group was larger than the one trying to free their leader's family.

Troops were trying to hunt down the attackers. It was utter chaos.


	2. Chapter 2

**Week Two**

**6. Adventure**  
>The day started out so simple. A press conference announcing the treaty's ratification, followed by a reception and then he and his family were leaving the planet for a private trip home. No security guards, no escorts; it was just supposed to be Jagged and his family.<p>

The attacks changed everything. He was fine; it was his family he was worried about. His guards had pushed him out of the meeting hall and into the nearby woods. He could hear a pack racing him down, desperate to kill him. He hoped that he was leading them away from his family.

**7. Romance**  
>Years ago, Tahiri found herself on the doorstep of the first man she'd loved sister's doorstep. She wanted to redeem herself. She needed to find a support system and purpose. Anakin had saved her years ago. She couldn't repay him, but she could make amends with his family.<p>

Tahiri was responsible for the princess. The two Fel children were assigned a Force-sensitive bodyguard. Jag and Jaina couldn't leave their children back home; it was too dangerous.

Tahiri tore a piece of cloth from her cloak and wrapped it around her arm. She'd see a medic once the princess was safe.

**8. Science**  
>Aki Singh held her hand to her face. She frowned as she spied a thin piece of durasteel between her fingers. She yanked it out, barely flinching as the metal slipped out of her skin. The destruction was not nearly as flawless as she'd hoped. It wouldn't take long for someone to find out the sources of the explosions. No matter. She would teach her staff not to fail. It's been awhile since someone had been punished. She'd grown lax, a mistake she would not make again.<br>She'd seen the girl's legs. If she died, today was a small success.

**9. Fiction**  
>Jaina yanked pieces of glass and wreckage out of her way as she ran to the speeder. Her lightsaber blade hacked away at the large obstacles. The medics were walking away with her only daughter. She could hear Kyp yelling for her to get back, but she ignored him.<p>

Jaina reached the medics. She stared down at the bloody, angelic face of her little girl. Nadia's eyes were closed. Her straight black hair had fallen out of its braids. She was breathing, barely. Jaina's eyes closed as she reached out into the Force, praying this wasn't real, just a nightmare.

**10. Comedy**  
>Tyron Fel stood with his hands locked behind his back. He closed his eyes, trying desperately to lock onto his sister's failing presence. He'd been safe in the hanger with his grandfather and Ben Skywalker preparing for takeoff during the attack.<p>

Tyron traced the small scar around his wrist. He'd fallen off the dock at the Antilles's home on Corellia. He'd broken his wrist and received the yelling of his life for giving Great Aunt Iella a scare. It'd hurt more than anything in his life until he felt the pain from his sister losing the fight for her life.


	3. Chapter 3

**Week Three**

**11. Wings**  
>Nadia felt like she was floating on warm water. Flashes of intense pain broke through the fog every couple of minutes. She didn't know what was going on. The last thing she remembered was talking to Tahiri in the speeder. They both stopped with a warning from the Force. And then all there was pain.<p>

Nadia floated on the current. It reminded her of swimming with her brother or flying with her father in his shuttle. She couldn't see anything. She knew that she should stay calm, but she was scared. Was she dead? Could the dead feel the Force?

**12. Unforgiven**  
>Aki ran a hand over her sleek black ponytail. She plucked the comlink off her belt.<p>

"Status?"

"Waiting for the girl in the medward."

"Excellent."

Aki switched off the device. She could still hear the sirens of the emergency speeder as it took the girl and her mother away from the wrecked square. The girl would not make it out of the hospital, at least not out alive. Once Nadia was dead, Aki could take advantage of Jagged Fel's grief and remove him from power. She thought about killing the son also, but decided to keep him alive for later.

**13. Rocky**  
><em>Tahiri smiled softly as the small chunk of rock touched the ground. "Good control, Nadia."<em>

_"Thank you."_

_"That's enough for today. Your parents are coming home tonight."  
><em>  
>Tahiri blinked her eyes to abolish the memory. A couple of months ago, Jaina and Jag had to attend a conference on the Outer Rim. Tahiri was shocked when they asked her to stay with Nadia and Tyron. She felt like they trusted her. She knew that the Imperial Guard was present, but she was their main caretaker for four days.<p>

Tahiri ran as she saw the medics load Nadia into a speeder.

**14. Titanic**  
>Kyp pressed his back against the back cabin of the speeder. His chest felt like a Hutt was sitting on it. He'd agreed that it would be best for the family to travel separately. He knew it was stupid to doubt the decision. He and Jaina's presence in the vehicle wouldn't have stopped the attack. It didn't stop the feeling of helplessness. Kyp hated feeling helpless. He needed to go out and do something.<p>

Kyp glanced at Tahiri as the speeder stopped. Tahiri nodded in understanding as Kyp pushed open the door and jumped.  
>He would follow from the outside.<p>

**15. Crash**  
>"Get out of my way," Jag growled as he pushed through his guards. They'd successfully taken out the group following him from the square. He'd tried to reach Jaina, only for Tahiri to answer and tell him Nadia was on her way to the medcenter. He'd immediately contacted Tyron, who was thankfully safe with Han.<p>

Jag had arrived at the medcenter. His security team was insisting that it wasn't secure, that he needed to wait. Kriff waiting, Jag thought. His daughter lying inside in pain. He wasn't going to let politics stop him. It'd taken too much from him already.  
><strong>16. Clue<strong>  
>Kyp adjusted the sturdy work gloves one of the local law enforcement officers had given him. He'd turned the speeder upright with the Force after a thorough inspection of the underside. He couldn't find anything that indicated sabotage. He grunted as he pried the crumpled engine cover free. One of the officers was standing next to him, flashing a light into the opening.<p>

Kyp reached out in the Force, honing in on the sense of wrongness.

He tapped the various parts, but nothing looked tampered with.

"Let me have that," Kyp said and the man handed him the light.

_There!_  
><strong><br>17. Operation**  
>Alec adjusted his surgical mask and gloves. He barely glanced at the other medics in the operating room. He was grateful that only his eyes were visible. He hoped no one would question his presence.<p>

He'd killed before; you couldn't work for Aki and not commit such an act. He'd never gone after a child before. It left him feeling rather unsettled.

He didn't have a choice, though. He had to kill Nadia Fel in order to succeed. Aki told him that the only way this would work was that the girl had to die.

He had no other options.  
><strong><br>18. Life**  
>Ben glanced at his Uncle Han as he looked over the scanners. Han was concentrating on maintain a low altitude around the hospital Nadia was in. Ben felt awkward in the co-pilot's seat of the <em>Falcon<em>. Normally his Aunt Leia took the seat. She was trying to gain them landing clearance.

Leia appeared in the cockpit saying, "Han, set her down."

"Where at?"

"Anywhere you want. Just don't crush anyone."

"I can see them."

"Are you sure? I bet I can find some glasses for you somewhere," Ben said in an attempt to ease the tension.

Han glared at him.

**19. Sorry**  
>"Jaina!" Jag shouted across the room as he approached his wife. "Where is she?"<p>

Jaina's voice faltered as she spoke, "She…she…"

"She's breathing on her own, but lost a lot of blood," Tahiri finished. "They're removing the shrapnel from her legs."

"Thank you," Jag murmured.

"Jaina, Jag, I'm so sorry," Tahiri said. "I-"

Jag held up a hand, "It's not your fault, Tahiri. We know that you would do anything to keep Nadia safe."

A relieved look crossed Tahiri's face. It was short lived though, as Han, Leia, Tyron and Ben entered the room followed by a group of angry guards.

**20. Risk**  
>"His ship is blocking traffic!" the head of hospital security sputtered as he pointed at Han.<p>

"Point that somewhere else," Han snapped.

"We had to lock down the building-"

"That's my granddaughter in there!" Han growled as he pushed the man's hand away. "You think I'm going to let some overpaid, scruffy-"

"There's no need for name calling."

Ben glanced over at Leia while Han continued to argue with the man. "Aren't you going to stop him?"

Leia shook her head, "Better he remind this man how to deal with worried families than harass the staff for information about Nadia."

**21. Rated**  
>The back of Tyron's head hit the wall in the waiting room softly. His parents were seated across from him, leaning against each other. Tyron could hear his grandfather talking quietly to Ben. The constant chatter that filled all medical facilities in the galaxy acted as a type of anchor, keeping him grounded. It was easy to lose himself, but he knew better than that. Demanding that the medics tend to his sister immediately would do no good. His father had already lit a fire large enough to destroy Endor under the medical team. All he could do was wait.<p>

**22. Guidance**  
>Alec studied the girl in front of him. The lead surgeon was removing shards of metal from her legs. Alec eyed the various fluids entering her system. He had a few options. The easiest, and cruelest, would be to hook up a bag of disguised poison when one of the bags ran out. She would survive the surgery, but within two days would start wasting away. She'd be dead in four days.<p>

The kind thing to do would be to kill her before she awoke. It was better than what Aki would do. He was doing her a favor, really.

**23. Suggested**  
>Jag studied a lock of Jaina's hair, freed from her intricate braids. It was a rich brown color Tyron inherited. Jaina had remarked more than once that his hair resembled Jacen's.<p>

Jaina and Jag received thousands of suggestions for names when the masses learned of Jaina's pregnancy. Some were fairly entertaining, but most messages were trashed before crossing their desks.

It was different with Nadia. He'd stumbled upon the name while scanning through ancient lore from Corellia. Nadia was an ancient princess that was cursed to live in a lake amoung of the water lilies until the end of time.  
><strong><br>24. Caution**  
>Alec's gripped his shaking hands behind his back as he assured the remaining nurse in the room that he could handle swapping medicine bags. With how many injured beings waiting for aid, she didn't have time to argue. He wouldn't be attending to the daughter of the Imperial Head of State if he was incompetent or a risk, she must have thought.<p>

Alec swallowed. He was going to increase her pain medication before he slit her throat. It was the least he could do. He couldn't think about how much Nadia looked like Lucia.

Trembling fingers reached for the controls…

**25. Restricted**  
>The Force sent a warning pressure on Tyron's and Jaina's mind. They jumped up from their seats and ran towards where they could sense Nadia. Jag didn't need to ask. Despite Leia's shout that Nadia was in trouble, he knew, as did Han. They all raced down the sterile hall, gripping their weapons and praying that Nadia would be okay.<p>

Three security officers appeared, trying to stop them, but found themselves flat on the ground.

The doors to Nadia's room burst open and Jaina ran into through the room. A loud scream pierced the air, causing everyone's heart to stop.  
><strong>26. Sex<strong>  
>Aki stared at building in front of her like a predator stares at its next kill. She knew what she would find inside. Creatures of the night. Prostitutes. Her future employees. Gender, species, it didn't matter. Even the cleanest towns had beings in this business. Aki hired them out to find information, to kill. No one cared if these beings lived or died. Aki offered credits, a night at a hospital, surgery for a sick child or whatever else the being wanted for their services.<p>

Aki stepped into the door, scanning the crowd. Yes, there were plenty to hire tonight.  
><strong><br>27. Graphic**  
>The too-bright lights reflecting off the silver blade.<p>

Stop.

The peaceful child's drug-induced sleep.

Stop.

Lucia's bloody, ruined body lying crumpled in the corner to rot.

Stop.

Nadia wincing in pain.

Stop.

The fires consuming Lucia's body on the funeral pyre.

Stop.

Aki pressing the muzzle of her pocket blaster to his shoulder, stopping him from throwing his body on Lucia's.

Stop.

Aki discovering his secret should he fail.

Stop.

Lucia's look of shame and utter loathing.

Stop.

Fire burning through his muscles, melting his veins in utter agony.

Stop.

The blade inches closer and closer to Nadia's throat.

Go.  
><strong><br>28. Violence**  
>Kyp clutched the innocent-looking pearlescent grey sphere in his hand. He wasn't sure what it was, but he knew it had something to do with crash. He began to return to the hospital when pain lanced through him. No Force-sensitive in the sector could avoid the feeling of hot drowning, as if lava was filling his lungs. The fire threatened to burn through his chest. His skin broke out in sweat. His legs shook. His head screamed. Kyp fell to his knees before he managed to cut the connection.<p>

He reached out to Jaina and all he saw was red.

**29. Language**  
>The sound of a child screaming brought dozens to the room. No one could enter the room. The blond woman held the threshold like a nexu guards its cubs. To cross would mean suffering.<p>

No sound came from the room. The guards, doctors and onlookers stared at themselves, and then the room. Nadia Fel was screaming mere seconds ago and now silence.  
>One man stepped forward, only to be blocked by the ignition of blue blade. Ben Skywalker appeared behind her.<p>

"Let us in."

"Why? Had you done your job, this wouldn't have happened," Ben stated coldly, daring for protest.  
><strong><br>30. Drugs**  
>The last image Alec saw with a trickle of blood running down Nadia's throat. Now all he saw was white. His back and skull pounded. He was nauseous. He felt like a frozen knife was stabbing his right knee. His right side was bleeding, he thought, but he didn't know. He didn't even know if he was alive. All he could remember was the trickle of blood, the open brown eyes and the scream. The scream, that if he was alive, he'd never forget. Those brown eyes began to push through the white, begging to know why.<p>

He couldn't answer.

**31. UDC 1- Week 8- 40. Shattered**  
>Jaina burst into the room as Nadia screamed. A mass of Force energy ripped Alec from Nadia's body. He bounced off the wall and hit the floor, unconscious. Jaina didn't see what happened to him, though. All she knew he was out of commission. She rushed over to her daughter's bed. Blood ran down Nadia's neck as she gasped for breath. With shaking hands, Jaina pressed the blanket to the wound in an attempt to stop the flow of blood.<p>

"Get a damn medic in here!" Han shouted out of the door, though they feared it was far too late.

**32. UDC 2- Week 16- 78. Vibroblade**  
>Ben and Tahiri allowed medics to enter the room to try to save Nadia. Ben couldn't watch the desperate attempt to save Nadia's life. He had to find something to focus on. His eyes darted restlessly around the room until they settled on the bloody blade on the floor.<p>

Ben pulled a pair of gloves from a wall dispenser. He found a clear bag to put the blade in. He turned the knife over several times, trying to identify any helpful details. It was decent quality; the type someone would pick up from any weapons shop. It was nothing special.  
><strong><br>33. UDC 3- Week 8- 37. Queen**  
>She was queen.<p>

Her neck burned, but she didn't know why. She could remember a crash, the sounds of glass breaking and a knife. Her hand brushed her throat, finding a raised line. She stared at her bloody fingers, but wasn't concerned.

Nadia opened her eyes. She was walking down the stairs outside tower. A throne sat high up behind her. Swirling black smoke waited for her at the bottom. She was afraid. The throne looked so comfortable. She was so tired. It'd be nice to sit.

She took one step, then two.

The beeping on the heart monitor slowed.

**34. UDC 4- Week 13- 63. When You're Lost**  
>Nadia walked up the stairs toward the throne. The stairs were pink, reminding her of frosting. She didn't understand why she was here, but she was exhausted. She wondered what would happen once she reached the throne. She hoped she could sleep.<br>Nadia's hand glided over the curved gold railing as she glanced at the smoke behind her. Something was telling her to go down there, but she was afraid.

Nadia took another step. She would explore the black smoke after she slept. She sped up when something sounded. She turned around to see someone waiting in the mists.

"Mom?"

**35. UDC 5- Week 1- 3. Time**  
>"Nadia, sweetheart, come home," Jaina said.<p>

Nadia cocked her head, "This isn't a dream?"

"You were hurt badly. Come down here."

Nadia didn't know if this was real or not, but she could trust her mother. She walked slowly. Her body began to ache and breath ragged. She collapsed to her knees, "Mama, it hurts."

"I know, baby," Jaina said gently. "One at a time."

Nadia scooted down the stairs. Something was restricting Jaina from rescuing her. She arrived at the bottom stairs. She gritted her teeth as her body shook in pain, reaching out to her mother's outstretched hand.


End file.
